Welcome New Board Leadership

Today, as Business First recognizes one of our newest Board Members, Jill Sessa, with its esteemed "40 Under Forty" Award, it seems like a fitting day to officially welcome the new leadership on our Board of Directors.

Our new Board President, Seema Maheshwari, served on our board for three years prior to taking the helm. Ms. Maheshwari was born in India, moved to Canada at age 13, and studied radiation therapy as a young adult. Now a Williamsville resident and mother of two daughters in college, she has been involved in the Williamsville East PTA, headed the school’s post-prom committee for two years and currently sits on the Amherst Task Force committee.

Maria Emmi Schory, a recent retiree from the Buffalo Public Schools, is the new Board Vice President. A special education coordinator, Ms. Schory graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a BA in Communication Disorders and an MS Ed. in Speech Pathology from Buffalo State College. She volunteers for the annual Catholic Charities Appeal and the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. She resides in Grand Island with her husband Carl and daughter Carla.

Also new to our board:

• Anthony Billoni, Director of the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute
• Nicole Carroll, English teacher and counselor for homeless and at-risk youth
• Ryan Carroll, Recruiter for StraussGroup
• Mike Hickok, Director of Online Services/Community Education at Catholic Health
• Corrin Matthews, underwriter for WNED and owner of WNY Hypnosis
• Robin Needham, Media Supervisor for Eric Mower and Associates
• Jill Sessa, Associate Director of Development for the UB School of Management/UB Foundation
• Ann Marie Szymanski, Communication Designer for BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York
• Bernadette Walsh, Global Customer Support Manager for National Air Cargo, Inc.

Photo of Nicole Carroll discussing our Traveling Museum during "Young Audiences Travel the Erie Canal" at the Albright-Knox on October 9th, 2009.